I did an afternoon trip to Žďár nad Sázavou in July 2020, and the reason was to go to Zelená Hora again. I visited the site many times, and I can observe how this place has been changing with time: The forest obscuring the visibility of the site was cleared, the cemetery inside the area surrounded by the ambit was canceled and gravestones removed, the church interior has been meticulously restored with other reconstructions works on the way. There are also plans to reconstruct the ambit, especially the roofs with high wooden pylons on the top of the chapels, etc.

Besides the long-term reconstruction works on the church, I have to mention the former Cistercian abbey, now the castle returned to the Kinský family. They invested a lot of money not only to taking care of the forestry and fishponds, but also to thorough reconstruction and revitalization of the former monastery complex. However, the basilica with the Well Chapel and the St. John of Nepomuk church are still properties of the Catholic Church.

The church settings, layout and interiors are truly exceptional (PHOTO). It has adopted the shape of flower with the five-fold symmetry and not the simple round or Greek cross principle. The site is stuffed by catholic and kabala symbolism as already described by others.

As I already mentioned, not only St. John of Nepomuk church is the worth-visiting site in the area. There are several guided tours in the castle. I skipped the museum and joint the tour to baroque abbey buildings and the basilica. The basilica dates back to13th century, but it was seriously damaged during the chaos of 15th century. The reconstruction plans of the entire monastic complex started with the anti-reformation of 17-18th Centuries. The main idea, which has been applied also elsewhere in the kingdom of Bohemia, was to re-establish great monastic complexes founded in 13-14th Centuries but destroyed later during the decline from the catholic faith. It explains the origin of the unique gothic-baroque style. The impulse came from the abbots, and it led not only to reconstruction of the main church but also to foundation of St. John of Nepomuk church. They hired a talented architect Jan Blažej Santini Aichel, who was active also in Sedlec near Kutná Hora WHS, etc. While the reconstruction of the basilica was exceptional but rather conservative, St. John Nepomuk is his truly masterpiece.

The story about John of Nepomuk is very interesting. He was declared as saint in 18th Century and used as a powerful symbol of anti-reformation in Czechia. However, he is rather a fake saint, because in reality, he was a victim of intrigues on the court of the emperor Václav IV. It is a paradox that the story about St. John of Nepomuk invented by the catholic propaganda was the powerful source of inspiration for constructions of masterpieces such as the church standing on Zelená Hora. Furthermore, the church was founded even a couple of years before the official declaration of John of Nepomuc as Saint – it means that his cult was very strong!

The site is accessible by train from Prague, but it is quite far away from the railway station (around 3-4 km). As the town is rather unassuming, I would recommend local busses.